Arms imports have increased in Europe that the United States has made in the past five years, raising serious questions about whether the continent can achieve its goal of independence of defense.

New research released on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a leading defense and weapons research company, shows that Europe has increased its weapons imports two and a half years in the past five years compared to the previous five years.

Two -thirds of those imports came from the United States.

Matthew George, director of the Capri -Capital Weapons Program, told Al -Jazeera that Europe’s ability to build its own weapons will affect the quality of the defense of Ukraine after cutting off American weapons.

“On the one hand, you have countries that increase weapons to counter the” Russian threat “, but on the other hand, countries will need to know how to arm them and accumulate them while transferring shares to Ukraine.

Most members of the European Union have not started promoting the production of local weapons until last year, the third year of the full war in Russia in Ukraine.

“The West wasted these three years and did not return itself to this lengthy war or any kind of horizontal escalation,” said Olikander Daniliok, a land war expert of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“We have an escalation in terms of increasing numbers of Russian forces and bringing in North Koreans to war. Unfortunately, the West has not been prepared, but late is better.”

Some observers are optimistic that Europe will manage itself.

“There is already a simple advantage here for Europe,” retired American colonel Seth Chromech, who currently served as Vice President of Global Guardian, a security adviser, told Al Jazerera.

“The days of comprehensive armor attacks in World War II explode mainly in this new war that relies on Amnesty International in the dirt laboratory that is Ukraine.”

He pointed out that drones will be more effective than heavy shields.

“I see a great opportunity for Europe to do in future investments in what the next stage of the war seems to be, and there is enough smart thinkers there that can secure it directly from the gates,” Kromrich said.

Ukraine seems to be progressing on this path.

Last year, the government in Kyiv set itself a target to produce one million aircraft from the first person.

By October, she said she had received 1.3 million Ukrainian suppliers and expected the number to rise to 1.6 million by the end of December.

Serry’s research has also shown that in the past five years, Ukraine has become the largest arms importer in the world, absorbing 8.8 per cent of global transportation – a reality in contradiction to its goal of increasing independence.

“I think things cannot be really different now. Ukrainian parliamentarian Ena Sofson, who has defense, said,” We need a lot of weapons. “

“We are fighting the second largest army in the world, and the conflict is tremendous.”

But it also indicated that the defensive industrial base in Ukraine has moved from sales of 1 billion euros ($ 1.08 billion) when the self -government policy was announced in December 2023 to 20 billion euros (21.7 billion dollars), according to information from the Ministry of Defense.

“According to recent estimates by the Ministry of Defense, about 40 percent of the weapons we are now using in Ukraine are produced,” Senson said.

The Institute of War Study, a research center in Washington, based in the capital, estimated that 30 percent of Ukraine’s weapons are coming from the United States, 30 percent of the European Union and other allies.

The European Defense winning the market, Russia is a loser

Europe in theory can accumulate a similar accumulation of its own industrial base.

According to SIPRI results, although the United States remained the best weapons source in the world, with 43 percent of the market, Western European companies have shown 30 percent.

Sipri showed that France, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Norway increased its share of the global market in the period 2020-2024. Poland has increased 40 times.

The European Union announced on Thursday It will allow Up to 800 billion euros (868 billion dollars) of new debts for weapons purchases, with $ 158 billion for joint purchasing rewards from European companies.

Germany alone was considering increasing defense spending 400 billion euros (434 billion dollars).

The Wall Street Journal wrote on Sunday: “The European defense has emerged as one of the largest winners of the global markets this year,” wrote the Wall Street Journal on Sunday.

Some of the largest European companies Shares She said that 67 percent or more, and hit market indicators.

In contrast, Russia has lost two -thirds of the arms export market over the past five years, including the three years in which its weapons were displayed in the war on Ukraine.

“The decline in arms exports in Russia began before it was widely invaded to Ukraine,” George said. “This was largely the result of the decrease in China and India’s orders.”

For example, India is transferring weapons supplies to Western suppliers, most notably France, Israel and the United States. Despite the recent public statements from both sides that the relations between India and Russia are still friendly, the shift is also visible in the new and planned orders of India for major weapons, most of which will come from Western suppliers. “

In the case of China, “its increasing ability to design and produce its main arms means that it is less dependent on arms imports than it was previously,” George said.

Krummerich was less charitable.

“Anyone there with a check notebook, especially if it is a limited budget, … you will see what succeeds and does not work,” he said. “When they saw the spear blowing [Russian] T-72 Tank Tound 60 feet [18 metres] In the air and completely stopping [invasion]… the best Russian forces were destroyed in place, … no one will buy it. “

While Europe is to enhance local production, it has flagrant weaknesses.

France Rafale, Griben Sweden and Urofiter have lost all sales against Lockheed Martin F-35, the favorite combat plane for most European NATO members. Europe lacks air defense systems as it has been proven to be Patriot, based in the United States-based Raytheon, and PAC-3 missiles.